Summer in NYC this year has been HOT, I mean, way hotter than any other summer I can remember. Living in an apartment, it makes turning on the oven painful. Even having the stove on seems to make our living room feel 20 degrees hotter. While dreams of a backyard growing fresh herbs and vegetables, a giant grill and outdoor kitchen set up dance in my head, I have still been cooking and baking in the apartment, just not as often as I would like too. To make it better, I have been choosing meals (and the occasional treats) that are faster to make. One of those things, is turkey burgers.
Normally, when Doug and I make burgers, he handles it. He is a man, he cooks red meat while his Gears of War video game is paused, that's what men do. Or so he tells me. I usually have no objection to this, as I lay on the couch, read and then just eat what is presented to me. He does make an awesome burger. But this time, I wanted to do it. I had caught part of a Rachael Ray episode over the weekend where she made turkey burgers with fresh herbs and I was inspired.
So on the way home from the gym (I find that the best time to go food shopping, I only want healthy things!), I stopped at the grocery store to pick up my ingredients. I picked up great whole wheat buns, as well as 93% lean ground turkey, which I would have liked to go leaner, but the selection at the store was not the best. For my fresh herbs, I decided to go with parsley, cilantro and dill. I felt the citrus-y flavor of cilantro will also bring out the subtle citrus & sweet flavor in the dill, and the savory parsley will be a nice addition to it. For your herbs, feel free to choose what you like best!
Because ground turkey is lean, it is easy to let it dry out when cooking. That is why you want to add a lot of fresh herbs, they will help keep it moist. For the 1.3 lbs of ground turkey, I added a little less than a 1/4 cup of each chopped herb. Also, to maintain moisture, I added a tablespoon of dijon mustard. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and mix it up - mix enough so everything is incorporated, but then do not keep mixing. Form the patties (I was able to form 6 decent sized patties) and throw them on your grill - or in my case, grill pan*! I served them with a slice of vegan cheese (mozzarella flavor), on the whole wheat buns I bought, with a nice slice of tomato. The whole burger had a fresh, crisp feeling to it, perfect for a hot summer day! Also, since it was only Doug and I eating, I saved the extra patties by wrapping them in plastic wrap and putting them in the fridge. If you want to reserve them longer than 3 days (that's my limit), put them in the freezer instead.
*Before putting on the grill pan, make sure it's hot! Also, I pour some vegetable or canola oil on a paper towel and use to spread over my grill pan so it is very lightly greased.
Some patties before they hit the grill:
After a bite or two:
